Displaying 1 - 24 of 110 results.

Court services in Oamaru have a new home, with the official opening of the purpose-built Oamaru Hearing Court in Humber Street, Courts Minister Chester Borrows said today.

“This facility provides a cost-effective solution for court services in Oamaru,” says Mr Borrows.

“While our first choice was always to get back into the old courthouse, this facility balances our need to be responsible in the way we spend taxpayer money with the need to provide a suitable venue for court.”

  • Chester Borrows
  • Courts

The Government’s welfare fraud reforms are working to make sure the benefit system is there for those who need it, says Associate Social Development Minister Chester Borrows.

With the seven key initiatives in the package now all underway or in force, Mr Borrows today released figures showing the programme had already recouped or saved over $47 million and stopped thousands of illegitimate or fraudulent benefits.

The effect on the lifetime liability of current beneficiaries is estimated at a reduction of between $119 and $134 million as of March 2014.

  • Chester Borrows
  • Social Development

Courts Minister Chester Borrows today introduced a Coroners Amendment Bill to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the coronial system. 

“Coroners have an important and difficult job to do, and I am pleased to introduce legislation that better supports their role”, says Mr Borrows.

  • Chester Borrows
  • Courts

Associate Social Development Minister Chester Borrows has welcomed the expansion of supported bail for young offenders as an important step to reducing reoffending.

The latest supported bail expansion increases the total places to 305 placements, available almost anywhere in New Zealand, up from 175 in 2006.

“Supported bail is an important tool for managing lower level young offenders in a way that is better for them and better for the community,” says Mr Borrows.

  • Chester Borrows
  • Social Development

Efforts to tackle youth offending are building momentum as communities and government agencies embrace the Youth Crime Action Plan (YCAP).

Associate Justice Minister Chester Borrows today praised the progress made during the first eight months of YCAP, the Government’s 10-year plan to reduce crime by children and young people, and help those who offend to turn their lives around.

  • Chester Borrows
  • Social Development
  • Justice

Courts Minister Chester Borrows has welcomed the announcement of a South Island building company as the main contractor in the next stage of the Dunedin Court complex’s refurbishment.

Amalgamated Builders Construction Ltd will undertake the work on the 184 High St building that provides further courtrooms with support and custodial areas, in addition to the already operating jury court.

  • Chester Borrows
  • Courts

Justice Minister Judith Collins and Associate Justice Minister Chester Borrows today announced the appointment of eight members to the new Youth Crime Action Plan Advisory Group.

The Advisory Group will provide advice to Ministers in the area of youth justice to support the implementation of the Government’s Youth Crime Action Plan.

  • Chester Borrows
  • Judith Collins
  • Justice

The Ministry of Justice has collected $4.6 million in just four months from people who risked being banned from driving under a tough new enforcement tool for overdue fines, Courts Minister Chester Borrows says.

Driver Licence Stop Orders (DLSOs) can be placed on anyone who fails to pay traffic-related fines imposed by a Court, Police or local government authority – or reparations imposed by a Court for traffic-related offences.

  • Chester Borrows
  • Courts

Associate Social Development Minister Chester Borrows has welcomed the start of new powers to hold both parties to relationship welfare fraud to account.

From today the amendments in the Social Security (Fraud Measures and Debt Recovery) Amendment Act 2014 come into force, creating a new offence for partners who are involved in relationship welfare fraud.

  • Chester Borrows
  • Social Development

Amendments gazetted today to real estate agent regulations will reduce unnecessary compliance costs, says Associate Justice Minister Chester Borrows.

Under the current system applicants for a real estate licence have to publish two notices of their intention to apply in approved newspapers.

“That approach is costly, cumbersome, and ineffective” Mr Borrows says.

  • Chester Borrows
  • Justice

Legislative changes aimed at further improving courts and tribunals have been unveiled by Courts Minister Chester Borrows today, as a part of the Government’s ongoing modernisation of the justice system.

The proposals aim to update a wide range of older legislation that has failed to keep pace with modern practice.

  • Chester Borrows
  • Courts

Courts Minister Chester Borrows and Associate Health Minister Peter Dunne announced today that the Government has agreed to the recommendations in the Law Commission’s recent report on suicide reporting.

The Government asked the Commission to review the issue, including the role of social media in discussing suicide.

The Law Commission’s report, released in April, recommended a number of changes to clarify and improve the law governing suicide reporting. Its proposals included revised reporting restrictions focused on the details most likely to cause harm.

  • Peter Dunne
  • Chester Borrows
  • Health
  • Courts

Associate Justice Minister Chester Borrows will represent New Zealand at the Commonwealth Law Ministers Meeting, taking place in Gaborone, Botswana next week.

“The Commonwealth Law Ministers Meeting is a great opportunity to discuss a range of law and order issues with our counterparts in the Commonwealth,” says Mr Borrows.

“With the legal systems of most Commonwealth countries sharing common roots, there is much we can learn from the way our related legal systems have evolved and faced similar challenges in different ways.

  • Chester Borrows
  • Justice

A new, multi-agency assessment centre for young people held in custody because of their offending will ensure the best possible response to young offenders, says Associate Social Development Minister Chester Borrows.

“We have no choice but to remove some young people from the community due to their offending, but it can only ever be a last resort,” says Mr Borrows.

  • Chester Borrows
  • Social Development

Corrections Minister Anne Tolley and Courts Minister Chester Borrows today welcomed the addition of the Whangarei, Nelson and Hutt Valley courts to the audio visual link (AVL) network connecting courts and prisons.

The new links are the latest in a $27.8 million upgrade programme, which is expanding AVL links to a total of 18 courts and 13 prisons by 2015.

  • Chester Borrows
  • Anne Tolley
  • Courts
  • Corrections

Associate Justice Minister Chester Borrows today congratulated six community groups around New Zealand who will received grants to fund fresh new approaches to reducing offending by young people.

The grants are from a special $400,000 fund that supports the Government’s Youth Crime Action Plan (YCAP), which  aims to reduce offending by children and young people over the next ten years.

“The YCAP Innovation Fund asked communities to step up and get creative with innovative ideas to tackle youth crime in their local area,” Mr Borrows says.

  • Chester Borrows
  • Justice

Associate Social Development Minister Chester Borrows has welcomed the passage of a Bill to hold partners complicit in welfare fraud to account, 102 votes to 17.

The Social Security (Fraud Measures and Debt Recovery) Amendment Bill changes the Social Security Act 1964, making spouses and partners of beneficiaries, as well as beneficiaries, accountable for welfare fraud or dishonest overpayments.

  • Chester Borrows
  • Social Development

Associate Social Development Minister Chester Borrows has today congratulated StudyLink staff on a highly successful Student Allowance and Loan peak season.

“StudyLink faces an incredibly challenging workload, with more than 300,000 applications for financial support to process in only a few months,” says Mr Borrows.

  • Chester Borrows
  • Social Development

Courts Minister Chester Borrows says changes which come into effect today will improve the process for people recovering debt owed following a civil court case.

The changes, made under the District Courts Amendment Act 2011, streamline the debt recovery process to make it faster, easier and cheaper for creditors, debtors, their representatives and the courts and tribunals.

“One of this Government’s most important priorities has been to support business so they have the confidence to hire another person, or invest another dollar,” says Mr Borrows.

  • Chester Borrows
  • Courts

Associate Social Development Minister Chester Borrows has congratulated today’s graduates from the latest Military Style Activity Camp (MAC Camp) for young offenders.

“MAC Camps take young people with some of the worst criminal histories, who are on their last chance,” says Mr Borrows.

  • Chester Borrows
  • Social Development

Associate Justice Minister Chester Borrows today announced the appointment of David Plunkett as a member of the Accident Compensation Appeal Authority.  The appointment is for a three year term.

The Authority hears appeals against Accident Compensation Corporation decisions and reviews decisions that were made under the 1972 or 1982 Accident Compensation Acts.  Generally, the appeals and reviews considered by the Authority relate to injuries that occurred before 1 July 1992.

  • Chester Borrows
  • Justice

Courts Minister Chester Borrows and Associate Health Minister Peter Dunne have welcomed the Law Commission’s report reviewing the rules that govern how the media report on suspected suicides.

The Government asked the Law Commission to conduct the review examining this issue and to look at the role of social media in discussing suicide.

“I would like to thank the Law Commission for its thorough assessment of the law governing this very delicate subject,” says Mr Borrows.

  • Peter Dunne
  • Chester Borrows
  • Health
  • Courts

Courts Minister Chester Borrows has heralded the establishment of a new Rangatahi Court at Ngā Hau e Whā Marae in Christchurch as a positive step for addressing youth offending in Christchurch.

Rangatahi Courts operate within the existing youth court model, but allow court sessions to monitor the progress of court-convened Family Group Conferences to be held at the marae rather than at the courthouse.

  • Chester Borrows
  • Courts

Associate Social Development Minister Chester Borrows says Labour needs to be clear on where they stand on welfare fraud.

“Yesterday morning David Cunliffe said he would scrap our legislation to hold partners complicit in welfare fraud to account, but later in the day Labour supported it,” says Mr Borrows.

“I was pleased to have such broad support from across the Parliament, including the Labour Party, for our bill.

  • Chester Borrows
  • Social Development